Conference fails poorer nations

Abdul Khalik and Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali

An international anti-graft conference concluded here Friday, failed to agree on the establishment of a consultative group of experts on asset recovery.

The agreement was much demanded by poor countries.

The failure means a defeat for developing countries in their efforts to strengthen the corruption eradication drive through the rejected consultative group.

It also forced them to "go back to square one" in their struggle for assets recovery from the rich countries, said delegates from developing states.

"We are very disappointed with the results," said Sajid Bilal, a spokesman for the G-77 member countries and China.

"The consultative group we proposed was dropped from the statement."

Instead of adopting a resolution to include a consultative group, the five-day conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) issued a vague "chairman's decision" after a series of tough sessions.

The decision maintained the existing working group, which was formed in Jordan in 2005, and ordered it to deliberate the conclusions and recommendations achieved in the conference.

This group is specifically tasked with identifying ways and means to translate them into concrete actions, to be tabled at the next conference in Doha by the end of 2009.

The conference decision read: "the conference further decides that the working group shall explore the means of building confidence, facilitate the exchange of information and ideas on the expeditious return of assets among states and encourage cooperation between requesting and requested states".

Another delegate, who declined to be named, said he was disappointed the conference had failed to make any reference to the proposed consultative group.

He said it meant poor states had to "start from zero" in the third conference if they wanted to push for the idea.

The consultative group of experts was supported to serve as a forum for the developing countries to resolve difficulties in assets recovery issues, including funding, and a tool to bridge differences in legal systems of the requesting and hosting states.

The proposal was rejected by rich countries as many said such a consultative group could be used as a tool to force them to comply with the poor states' demand of assets recovery.

The developed countries, led by the U.S., instead submitted a proposal for a draft resolution that focused on enhancing the capacity of the developing countries without a clear reference to what developed countries can do to help reclaim assets.

Attorney General Hendarman Supandji, who was the president of the conference, said the stand-off at the meeting forced him to issue a "chairman's statement" to conclude the conference.

At a news conference earlier, UN Office on Drugs and Crime executive director Antonio Maria Costa said, "We can live with or without a consultative group".

The conference also managed to adopt several resolutions on anti-corruption measures.

On the review mechanism of UNCAC's implementation by the state parties, delegates failed to adopt a mechanism on how they would conduct the review. Nor did they come up with a source of funding for the review activities.

On technical assistance from developed countries to fight corruption, the conference agreed on how donor countries could help developing nations enhance their capability in fighting corruption.